The Environmental and Biological Chemistry Core serves as a chemical analysis for all projects in the program. It operates gas chromatographs with various detectors, an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, an inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer, and a K-X-ray fluorescence instrument. The Core assists in development of standard operating procedures and establishment of quality assurance and quality control protocols for each target compound. In addition, the Core participates in inter-laboratory comparison to ensure that results generated by our facility are comparable with studies performed elsewhere in other laboratories. The basic functions of Core B include: - Maintenance of equipment - Laboratory management of sample flow for projects - Quality assurance/quality control - Training and supervision of doctoral students - New method development - Collaboration with scientists from other laboratories and/or visiting scientists from foreign countries on mutually interesting tasks - Compliance with environmental and occupational safety regulations A major enhancement to Core B function is noteworthy: development of a Molecular Biology Core Unit. This portion of the Core aims to provide instrumentation and expertise for molecular endpoint readout services, help develop and apply these molecular procedures for investigator needs, and provide quality assurance and quality control for laboratory protocols.